


Learning to live

by emulikule



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Connor was never sent out to work, Domestic, Fluff, M/M, Might As Well Be, post pacifist end, what is this 100 dalmatians featuring one dog?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-27 01:31:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15013748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emulikule/pseuds/emulikule
Summary: After getting suspended Hank decides to try and get his life back on track. First step - letting Sumo get some well needed fresh air. The only thing that bothers him now is the weird android that sits like a statue in the park and stares off into the distance. He would have been more than happy to just ignore it but it seems that it just wasn't meant to work out that way.Canon divergent AU in which Connor wasn't fully finished by CyberLife to go out in the field but is now free due to the android revolution.





	Learning to live

Being suspended didn’t sound too bad at first, just more time to wallow in your thoughts either at home or at a bar, nursing a glass that didn’t hold any answers, but even that didn’t hold out for too long. After waking up one morning on his kitchen floor with whiskey coating most of his shirt and Sumo dutifully by his side Hank decided that he could at least try to take baby steps in not letting his life spiral completely out of control.

The first step he decided to take was Sumo. He knew that he had been neglecting the poor animal that still greeted him every morning with a nudge on his legs, so after properly feeding him and checking if he had enough water the man took a cold shower, fished out some cleaner clothes and took out the leash he hadn’t used for a while now.

The morning light was painful to his eyes, especially since the snow had already covered most of the city and shone brightly as if mocking him. The air was cold and crisp but that didn’t seem to bother Sumo as the dog happily trotted down the street, mostly walking Hank rather than the other way around. He led the two of them to the park which was usually a lot more busy at this time of the day, but after the whole android revolution everyone seemed a bit more on edge, opting to stay at home rather than enjoy a nice day outside. Nobody knew what to expect exactly now but things hadn’t gotten too violent, so Hank had his hopes that everything would just fall into place eventually. He had, after all, even noticed a few of the plastic fuckers hanging around the city, but it had gotten a lot harder to differentiate between them and the humans once most had begun taking off their LED indicators, leaving only a few that still kept those on.

As the two slowly made their way through the strangely silent park Hank caught from the corner of his eye one from the latter group sitting still as a statue on a bench that overlooked the river and the bridge, the blinking of the blue LED on its temple the only indication that it was active. Sumo tugged lightly on the leash as they passed the thing, but Hank just pulled back and continued to walk.

* * *

The next day Hank saw the exact same sight. The android was still sitting in the same spot, still unmoving and still staring off into the distance.

_Fuck, is that thing defective?_

Sumo tried again to approach the android and Hank gripped tighter on the leash once more. It was not his business if the thing was left behind by its owner after the uprising and he didn’t want to get involved in any of it. His previous case was more than enough for that.

This continued for several days as Hank had begun making a habit once more of giving Sumo fresh air and space to stretch his legs. Every time they would pass the bench with the android which was lightly covered in snow but not enough to indicate that it had been sitting there for god knows how long. It didn’t react to them, though Hank did try to walk as far away on the path from it as he could to make sure of that.

This strategy, however, failed one day as Hank lost himself in his thoughts wondering if things had gone differently would he be alone in walking Sumo like this. He didn’t notice the dog pulling him towards the sitting android and once he finally snapped back to reality it was too late to pretend that he hadn’t seen the thing. Sumo had gone up to it and nudged its leg just like he would Hank’s in the mornings, and for the first time since the man had noticed the machine, it moved, turning its head to look at the dog and giving him the faintest of smiles. It raised its hand and began to pet Sumo with careful movements.

“Hello,” it greeted in a soft voice and Hank had to control himself not to groan and pull Sumo away. The dog seemed to be enjoying this and he didn’t want to take that away from him. “What’s your name?” it asked as it began scratching Sumo beneath his chin.

Hank sighed and reluctantly answered, “Sumo.”

The android raised its head to look at him for a short moment, smiling and turning its attention back to the animal. “Hello, Sumo. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah yeah, I’m sure he feels the same way,” Hank grunted before finally tugging at the leash and lightly pulling the dog away. As he began walking again he turned back one more time to check if the android had decided to give them any more unwanted attention but it had resumed its usual position of staring off blankly into the distance.

_Weird fucker._

* * *

It was snowing the following day when Hank took Sumo out for his walk, the snowflakes lazily dancing around as they continued to coat the city in even more white. He had gotten news that his suspension would soon be lifted and had begun trying to plan his day out differently so that he would still have time for the walks. He’d probably do it in the evenings since he could barely be bothered to get into work in the morning, let alone wake up earlier to go outside and freeze his ass in the cold for an hour.

While thinking about that his attention was once more caught by the weirdo android. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination or if the thing looked even more stiff than usual. There seemed to be more snow covering it now, making its dark hair appear almost grey.

Hank was sure he would regret this the second he did it, and yet he still let Sumo lead him towards the machine, greeting it the same way he had the day before. The android livened up again and began to pet the animal as Hank mentally punched himself in the face and sat down next to it before he could change his mind and book it. The android turned to look at him, blinking a few times as it stared at his face. Hank had to seriously restrain himself not to start a fight then and there.

After a few more moments of staring it finally spoke again, “Hello, Lieutenant.”

Hank couldn’t lie, he was definitely taken aback by this. “How the fuck do you know that?” he asked with a suspicious glare.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself,” it said rather than answering the question. “My name is Connor. I’m the android sent by-” it cut itself off and held its mouth slightly open for a moment before continuing, “I guess that’s not correct now. I’m a prototype that was designed to work alongside humans concerning cases that involved other androids. My database is filled with information regarding that so that is how I know about you, Lieutenant. I apologize if it was out of line.”

“If you were meant to work with us why the hell haven’t I heard of you before?”

“Maybe you’re not very attentive?” Hank was sure he saw the corner of its mouth twitch as it said that.

_Cheeky bastard._

“Well, it’s not too surprising that you didn’t know about me,” the android turned its attention back to Sumo, who was now resting his head on its leg. “I was still in the testing stages when the revolution happened. CyberLife was supposed to send me out a lot earlier, though, but something kept coming up with my programming and they were trying to fix it.”

“So you _were_ defective,” Hank snorted at that. What a wonderful detective he turned out to be.

“Perhaps. After the android uprising led by Markus they let me go. I only learned about deviancy once I saw the other androids, but I do have a suspicion that CyberLife considered me not fully operational because I showed minor signs of it.” Connor’s face grew tighter as it said that. “They just let me go without giving any instructions on what I should further do. I was free, but I didn’t know anything. I wandered around the city for a while before finally deciding that I liked this place.”

“And then you just sat here like sleeping beauty waiting for your prince charming? You could try getting a kiss from Sumo but I’m not sure you’d like your whole face slobbered over,” Hank smirked as he said that.

The android didn’t react to that as it looked back into the distance once more. “Freedom is a scary concept if you’ve never known life without it.” The words hung in silence for a few seconds before it gave Hank one last glance, “I’m still trying to learn what that means.”

Hank decided that that was enough for one day. He stood up, tugging at Sumo’s leash, and with a small nod left the android to its devices. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the whole situation. Hell, the thing looked like a lost puppy just sitting there all alone, but he wasn’t here to be a charity case. Maybe it would eventually decide to leave and go somewhere else. Who knew what was going on inside its head anyway.

“Certainly not me,” he mumbled to himself as he shoved his hands into his jacket’s pockets and let Sumo lead the way back home.

* * *

It was dark when he finally got back from work. Sumo was napping in his usual spot but went up to greet his owner once Hank stumbled through the door. He didn’t feel like eating at home, so he picked up the leash and ushered his dog outside.

The park was even emptier in the evening but just as he had expected the android, Connor, he thought, was right where it always was. Hank didn’t feel up for pleasantries, so once he got close enough he just let Sumo do that for him. Connor seemed to be happy to see them, but before it could greet them Hank was already talking.

“Come on, get your plastic ass up. You’re going to freeze in this place if you never move.” He continued walking down the path, not even checking if the android had listened to him. He did, however, hear a second pair of shoes begin to crunch the snow a few steps behind him.

“Where are we going?”

“To get some food.”

“But I don’t eat.”

“Good for you.”

The two of them and Sumo walked in silence for a few minutes before Hank finally got fed up with it. “I had been assigned a case with deviants once things had started getting out of hand,” he started, hoping the android would get why he was doing this but mostly feeling like he was explaining things to himself, finding a plausible excuse. “I wasn’t too into it. From what I could see most of them looked like they were acting out of self-defence and honestly the whole thing just didn’t feel right. After things got more heated the FBI took over and I got into a fight with that scumbag Perkins. They suspended me and that’s how I got here. I’m back now, though.”

“Deviants, huh,” Connor finally spoke up. “My initial objective was to help humans resolve cases involving them. Maybe we would have even been partners if I hadn’t been inadequate.”

“Me partnering up with you? Hah, don’t make me laugh.”

“You never know.”

Hank didn’t have a good answer to that so he just grumbled something inaudible and continued walking out of the park and towards Chicken Feed. Connor followed swiftly in tow.

Once he got his burger he went to the table, watching as the android looked around, inspecting everything new that it saw. Its blue LEDs glowed faintly in the dark that was barely illuminated by the food stand and the few sparse street lamps. Eventually it walked over to Hank’s table, looking slightly out of place as it clearly didn’t know what it was supposed to do now. Hank saw it observe his food with a slight concern on its features.

“These aren’t very good for you, Lieutenant.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Hank mumbled as he took another bite.

“Alright, the average caloric intake of a-”

“That wasn’t an order,” he cut off the android before it could start rambling about stuff he really _really_ didn’t care.

“I’m sorry, I hadn’t realized you were well-versed in the gastronomic and biological sciences. I will try to be less presumptuous next time,” it said with a faint smile.

Hank just looked at the android over his burger and squinted his eyes.

The two of them talked a bit more about Hank’s work and Connor’s programming or whatever the stuff that came out of the android’s mouth was about as Hank ate his food and let Sumo eat some of the stuff that fell from his hands. The evening was getting cold, though, so after some time Hank began getting ready to go home. He waved goodbye to Gary and was almost ready to start walking back before he realized that Connor was still standing by the table.

“Have you decided to spend the night here instead of your bench?” he called out to the android who only shook its head.

“No, I will go back. I just… wanted to stay a while longer.”

“Suit yourself, just don’t annoy Gary too much. Hell knows you sure know how to do that.” He turned around before groaning and promising himself that he’d definitely get a drink once he’s back home. He turned his head back at the lingering machine. “Why don’t you go to at least some shitty motel? It would be a lot better than staying out in the cold.”

This seemed to take Connor by surprise as the android faltered slightly before answering, “I do not have any funds for that. Besides, I have kind of grown fond of that place, so you don’t need to worry about me, Lieutenant. I hope you have a nice night.” It smiled one last time and turned to walk away towards the direction of the park.

Hank put up his hand to his face and slowly slid it down. “Fucking androids.”

* * *

The next day walking through their usual route Hank realized that he felt a small pang of worry once he saw that the bench overlooking the river wasn’t occupied any more. Some cases had come up dealing with people that were even more vocally and aggressively against the androids ever since their uprising. Connor might have gotten mixed up with those guys.

“Come on,” he told Sumo. “I know that you can find it. Let’s see what the little shit has gotten himself into.”

The dog seemed to understand him, though he did look slightly confused once he tried to sniff Connor’s usual spot and came up empty-handed, or rather empty-nosed. Nevertheless, the animal looked around before tugging Hank to follow him. The two walked at a brisker pace than normal, but after a while Hank saw that they were just headed towards Chicken Feed again.

“God damnit, you just wanted some food again?”

Sumo barked in return, still trudging towards the stand.

“That’s what I get for only buying you dry food I guess,” Hank exhaled with a puff of fog, letting the dog lead the way.

What he hadn’t expected was to actually find the wayward android at the same spot they had been the day before. Once it noticed the two of them coming over it waved and waited for them to join it.

“What the fuck are you doing here,” Hank asked, not even trying to mask the exasperation from his voice. “I thought you said you didn’t need to eat.”

“That is correct.” Connor nodded. “I had taken into consideration your words about broadening my horizons, so to speak. The thing is that I realized I still didn’t really know where I could go or what I could do. Most of the information that I have concerns police and detective work, but I couldn’t go to the station looking for a job. I know that at the moment there are no concrete laws implemented about legal and paid android labour. So I just came to the other place I knew without thinking.” It then scrunched up its face as if it had tasted something sour. “Well, not without thinking, per se. I can’t really do that. I hope you understand what I meant.”

Hank didn’t, but he didn’t care either. Listening to Connor talk just made him feel worse. He inwardly cursed his moral compass, considered how much he’d hate himself in the morning, sighed and thought _Fuck it_.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go. I’m freezing my ass standing here and even if you keep spilling your mumbo jumbo about your programming or design or whatever I know that the cold and snow aren’t good for you either.”

“What do you mean?” he heard the android ask as it began following him again.

“I mean we’re going back to my place.”

He felt Connor stop in its tracks and prayed for strength in keeping his resolve. Too late to pussy out now.

“I don’t know if that is a good idea, Lieutenant. You shouldn’t bother with me in this regard.”

Hank turned to see the android standing in the relative dark, its temple LED flashing yellow for a few seconds before turning blue again. He walked back, pulling on its arm and dragging it along with him. “I already made up my mind. Don’t be difficult or I might just change it.”

Connor didn’t voice any more concerns after that though Hank could tell the android wasn’t completely comfortable with what was happening. Once they reached his house Hank decided that this was enough shit that he wanted to deal with for that day. He closed the door after Connor had somewhat reluctantly entered, took off Sumo’s leash and headed straight to the kitchen for a drink. He figured he deserved it.

It was silent for the first few minutes that he drank but after he was done with the first glass Hank heard the already unmistakable shuffling of the android’s shoes before it entered the kitchen. He could see the thing inspecting his glass, probably already calculating how many he could drink before getting alcohol poisoning.

“I can see that you don’t consider your health in high regard,” it finally spoke.

“Everybody’s got their own problems. I could say the same about you, Elsa.”

Hank saw the android’s LED flash faster for a few seconds before it answered, “My name is Connor.”

“Same difference,” he waved it off and downed another gulp.

It didn’t take long before the man decided it was high time to crash and ignore his problems. He slurred something about ‘making yourself at home’ to the android and without waiting for its answer he slammed the door to his bedroom shut.

* * *

His mouth felt like he had gorged himself on cotton the previous night, but aside from that it wasn’t too bad. He could have drunk a lot more but having the android stand next to him in the kitchen just felt weird.

He dragged himself out of bed, already dreading what kind of shit the machine could have done to his house while he was out cold. Brilliant idea, really. One of his best so far.

It was slightly surprising when he didn’t see anything out of place until he reached the kitchen and saw a makeshift breakfast prepared on the table. The android itself was nowhere to be seen as only Sumo came up to greet him. A note lay next to the food, clearly taken out from one of his old notebooks that he kept for sentimentality’s sake.

_I apologize if the food is not to your liking. I don’t have the necessary programming for culinary preparation but I did look up some recipes online._

Hank wasn’t sure how he should feel about this but chose not to think too much right now. He ate the food which wasn’t too bad, though definitely not the best, looked at the clock to see that he was already late for work as always and lazily got up to get ready.

* * *

As usual, he found Connor on the bench.

“Why didn’t you stay?” he asked as he sat down next to him.

“I figured that my invitation was to stay for the night while it is the coldest outside. I didn’t want to extend my stay in case I wasn’t wanted,” the android answered as if it was the most obvious thing.

“Look,” Hank sighed, feeling like he was explaining things to a toddler, “while it still feels as cold as satan’s asshole and you haven’t gotten a job, you can come over whenever you want. It’s not gonna do you any good if you just shut down and I might even feel the tiniest bit responsible if I find you one day looking like a god damned popsicle.”

“My thermoregulator is still in proper condition-”

“Connor.”

The android’s expression was unreadable as he blinked for a few seconds before finally exhaling. “Alright, I will take you up on your offer.”

* * *

 

* * *

If asked, Connor would be easily able to tell how much time he had spent with Hank, but he didn’t really feel like it. The first few times he had gone over to the man’s house he didn’t stay for long, always leaving in the morning while the other was still asleep.

That didn’t last for long, though. Hank kept insisting in his passive aggressive way, which was getting slightly easier to read, but only really slowly, that Connor stay for longer, be it a storm coming up that would ‘blow you away like a plastic bag’, or an excuse that the man would be coming back late from work so Sumo needed someone to walk him. After a while Connor realized that it would just be easier to listen to him rather than do the opposite.

He would usually stay on the couch during the night, sometimes playing with the dog, watching whatever was on the TV, or just listening to the sounds of the house and the wind outside. He had even attempted powering down a few times to conserve his battery, though Hank told him that he almost had a heart attack when he found him like that one morning. Something about a completely still body laying on his couch without any indication that it’s alive didn’t sit well with him.

During one of the evenings when Hank essentially ordered for him to stay over during the whole day he occupied himself watching a game of basketball as Sumo begged for his attention kneading the android’s legs with his front paws. He had found some time before that he enjoyed watching sports games as they clearly required strategic gameplay and organization, but there was plenty of spontaneity in them as well. Guessing the players’ next actions had become somewhat of a hobby for him.

Hank had come back from the station not too long ago and the man finally joined him on the couch to watch the game as well. Connor had diverted his attention to Sumo for a bit, petting the dog’s head as Hank would grumble something every time the team he was rooting for scored.

After some time Sumo grew bolder and with Hank’s dissatisfied comments coupled with Connor’s delight, the animal climbed on top of the couch, almost burying the android beneath his massive furry body. Connor managed to scoot closer to Hank, who was already almost on the edge of the couch, and let Sumo make himself more comfortable. He laughed as he petted the dog, not paying attention to the fact that one of his hands had gone white, revealing the plastic structure underneath the projected skin.

Hank, on the other hand, did seem to notice this as the android heard a confused sound come from the man. He turned to see if something was wrong and followed the other’s eyes to his right hand.

“What the hell is that? Are you breaking down?” Connor could tell that he was pretending to be nonchalant, but it was clear that the man was at least slightly worried.

“Nothing of the sort,” he answered, turning back to Sumo. “Androids do this between themselves to share information or memories. I know that it isn’t possible with an organic creature like Sumo or humans, but I just figured I wanted to try it nonetheless. I’ve observed several other androids even do this casually.”

Hank hummed in response. “Yeah, I think I’ve seen that too. The whole hand-holding thing.”

Connor nodded, though he grew silent after that. Sumo eventually tired himself out and stopped shoving the other two towards the corner of the couch. The android steadied himself and pressed his back to the frame of the furniture, letting Hank get some space as well. They continued to watch the game with some remarks from both of them, though there wasn’t any serious conversation.

As the evening stretched out, Connor finally managed to casually bump the side of his right hand to Hank’s left, making the projection of his skin dissolve at the point of the contact. Neither of them said anything as they remained watching the TV.

* * *

Though he still didn’t spend all of his time at Hank’s house, Connor had grown a habit of at least visiting every day. One such time the android found himself ringing the doorbell to an unlit house. He grew suspicious as no one answered as this was around the time that Hank came back home and took Sumo out for a walk. Checking around the house it appeared to be empty, save for the dog slumbering in his spot.

Connor wasn’t sure what he should do in this situation, so he figured that he did know where the police station that Hank worked at was. It wouldn’t hurt to at least check if the man had missed the time and was still there.

It took a while to get to the building on foot, but the android wasn’t too perturbed by that. The man at the front desk gave him a suspicious look once he entered through the main door, glancing from his armband to the LED on his temple.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for Lieutenant Anderson. Is he still here?” Connor said, ignoring the doubtful look on the other man’s face.

“No,” he finally answered. “He checked out already. You can probably find him at his house or at some nearby bars.”

“Thank you.” The android nodded before leaving.

He knew that Hank wasn’t home, unless they had passed each other, but that wasn’t likely. The other option was to check the nearest locations of several bars and hope that he would find what he was looking for. He opted for that and began his search.

The android eventually found him after a few unsuccessful trips at a dingy place called Jimmy’s Bar. The man was slumped over the counter with a half empty glass by his side.

“Hank,” Connor said as he stepped closer to him and nudged him on the shoulder, “you should go back home.”

The man was clearly not pleased with that as he shoved Connor’s hand off him and groaned. “Fuck off, I’ll do what I god damn want.”

The android had gotten used to the less than social attitudes the other would occasionally show by now. “I understand, but it would still be better if you didn’t stay here any longer.”

“You got yourself an android babysitter?” the man over the bar asked with a bemused smirk as Hank flipped him off.

“I can help you get back if you’d like,” Connor insisted. “You don’t appear to be in a state that would let you do that without an incident.”

He only got a grunt as a response, but the other man was no longer showing apprehensiveness at Connor’s suggestions, so the android took that as a success. He paid the bartender from Hank’s wallet and dragged him out of the place, holding onto him so that the other wouldn’t slip on the icy road. He called a taxi and somehow managed to get Hank into it while the man had begun cursing him out in a quite colourful vocabulary.

“I’m sorry for using your money to pay for this,” the android apologized as the car drove them back to Hank’s house. “I promise I’ll repay you once I get a job.”

“Once you become a robocop?” the man slurred.

“Yes, once I become a robocop,” Connor answered with amusement, having gradually begun to understand Hank’s references.

After they got out of the taxi Connor dragged Hank towards his house, fishing out the keys and trying to keep a steady hold on him. Sumo greeted them silently, seemingly understanding that his owner wasn’t in the shape for loud noises. The android manoeuvred through the house with an almost passed out Hank by his side. He got the man to the bathroom and helped him as he heaved by the toilet.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he slowly walked them to Hank’s bedroom.

“Like a million bucks. Now let me crash.”

Connor complied as he let the man slump over in his bed. He was out cold in a few moments, muttering something about ‘being room-mates’ before fully clocking out.

The android checked for any heart problems or other complications one more time before deciding that he could leave Hank alone to sleep it off. He leaned down to brush some stray hairs that had fallen on the other’s face and quietly exited the room going to check if Sumo was properly fed.

* * *

In the morning Hank seemed to be feeling slightly better as he gave a weak ‘hi’ to Connor, who was sitting on the couch.

He scratched his head as he looked away. “Thanks… for yesterday. I would have probably spent the night at the bar if it weren’t for you.”

“No problem,” Connor answered earnestly. He had been waiting for the other to wake up so that he could leave the place without worrying.

“Some days are just worse than others, nothing to it,” Hank continued as he finally looked back. “But thanks anyway.”

Connor knew that there wasn’t ‘nothing to it’, but seeing how the man looked he decided it wasn’t time to pry, at least not now. He smiled as he stood up, already heading for the door.

“Wait,” he heard Hank call out and turned to see if the man needed anything else. He looked somewhat embarrassed as he shifted his weight from one foot to another. “You should stay here today. Hell, you should stay every day.”

It took a few milliseconds for Connor to process that. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah I’m fucking sure,” the man waved him off as he started walking towards the bathroom. “Just don’t make a mess while I’m at work.”

* * *

As promised, Connor didn’t ‘make a mess’. He spent the day playing with Sumo and if a bottle of whiskey just so happened to be in the way when the dog came barreling into the kitchen then it was the bottle’s fault.

Hank returned from work slightly later than his usual schedule, carrying a bag in his hands. He handed it to Connor, saying how it was about time for him to get some new clothes.

“You can’t just keep looking like a wannabe businessman all of the time,” he spoke in a rough tone, though there was no malice to it.

Connor curiously inspected the clothes, noting how most of them were in line with Hank’s taste in fashion, though there were a few exceptions. He felt the side of his mouth twitch as he looked back at the man.

“Did they say something to you at work?” he teased. “Or was it the android babysitter comment from the bartender that got you?”

“You try to be nice and this is what you get,” Hank groaned as he walked off into the kitchen, leaving Connor to try out some of the new clothes.

* * *

Hank hadn’t been kidding when he said that Connor should stay at his place full-time. The man didn’t take no for an answer and the android eventually gave in. He’d still follow any news that came from Markus or anything at all that had to do with androids. The ones he was most interested in were concerning the labour laws.

One night he crashed through Hank’s bedroom door, almost slamming it off its hinges and startling the man awake with a loud curse. He jumped on the free side of the bed, a bright touchpad clutched in his hand.

“Hank!” he shoved the touchpad in front of the obviously very grouchy man. “Markus has finally managed to negotiate for legal android employment.” He began ranting off all the minute details about the process and when it would be implemented. Hank seemed to be trying to listen for a few minutes, but the man eventually took the touchpad from the android’s hands, turned it off and set it aside.

“Alright alright, you can talk about this in the morning,” he slurred, already feeling sleep taking him back. “Just go to bed and don’t bother me for now. We can even go to the station together if you promise to sleep.”

Connor still felt excited at the news but he could see that the other was too tired for it at the moment. He complied, though in return for keeping quiet for now he decided that he could power down in the bed rather than on the couch. This way he wouldn’t startle Hank by getting out of it and also trying to close the doors without a sound. He bumped their hands once more, letting his skin dissolve, and went to sleep.

* * *

 

* * *

The day was bright as Hank grumbled to himself walking through the park.

“Useless fucking androids, can’t even stay where they’re supposed to be.”

He rounded the corner, already seeing the bench overlooking the river and the bridge in the distance. And of course, who else would it be sitting there than his wandering android. He finally got to him with an exasperated sigh.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked as Connor turned to look at him with a smile brightening his features.

“I’m enjoying the morning.”

“I honestly wouldn’t care any other day, but you do know that we got our first proper case today, right?”

The android nodded at that, his blue LED turning yellow for a few seconds. “I received all the necessary information.”

“Then I ask you again,” Hank scrunched up his face, “why are you here and not at the station?”

“I wanted to take it in and wait for you. I knew you would find me,” he winked at the man as he said that.

“Alright, no need to be cheeky. Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

“Okay.” The android finally stood up and looked at the horizon one more time. “I still haven’t said this to you today, so - hello, Hank.”

The man couldn’t help but laugh at that as he shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to go back to his car. “We ain’t got all day for sentiments, let’s go.”

He didn’t look to see if Connor was following him, but he did smile as he felt the android’s arm brush against his as they walked down the path.

 


End file.
